ANTI-OXIDATIVE EFFECT OF NYCTANTHES ARBORTRISTIS EXTRACT IN MOUSE MODEL OF ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic immuno-inflammatory systemic disease, affecting 1-2% population worldwide. The disease is very common among women rather men. Mostly the victims of this disease belong to the age group 45 onwards, while juvenile cases are also reported. The exact pathogenesis of the disease is still a question. Reactive oxygen species have been implicated as mediators of tissue damage in arthritic patients. Various herbal plant preparations are reported to scavenge free radicals and improve different human diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, etc. The present investigation was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Nyctanthes arbortristis towards disturbed antioxidant status in inflamed tissue. Nyctanthes arbortristis has been known for medicinal uses such as anti-helmenthic, anti-bacterial activity, etc. Water-soluble ethanolic extract of Nyctanthes seed (NSE) and leaf (NLE) was administered orally to adjuvant-induced arthritic mice (AIA) at the dose of 23.72 mg/kg body weight for 47 days. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic anti-oxidants were assessed on day 2, 14 and 47. On the one hand, daily administration of NLE significantly elevated catalase activity and albumin levels, on the other hand, lowered the malondialdehyde, uric acid and protein levels as compared with control animals. NLE was observed more effective as compared to NSE. All these results demonstrate the efficacy of NLE as an anti-arthritic agent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the absolute mechanism of NLE for scavenging free radicals.